Case Law Update (presentation by Kevin Rupp):There are few institutions throughout the United States that compare to schools when it comes to being impacted so frequently by court rulings.These rulings address student rights, employee rights, and governance issues.This session reviews the most important court decisions from the past year, including their practical implications for running schools today as well as what they mean for the future.

Real Life Scenarios – What would you do?(presentation by Amy Mace and Liz Vieira):Test your knowledge by working through answers to real-life scenarios!Using interactive technology, Amy and Liz will challenge participants with questions based around situations likely to arise in the day-to-day work of a school administrator.Topics will include Section 504, responding to subpoenas, parental custody issues, employment issues, service animals, and more.

School District Contracting (presentation by Jay Squires):Do we need to bid this contract?A bid was delivered late – what do we do with it?Can we reject this low bidder – it did a terrible job for a neighboring district?This presentation will utilize hypotheticals to discuss the most common issues that arise under school district contracting law.

Dealing with Difficult Parents (presentation by Mick Waldspurger):This interactive presentation will provide audience members with various tools for dealing with difficult parents, including parents who engage in disruptive, disrespectful, intimidating, or threatening conduct.The presentation will review a variety of laws that can be used to maintain order and respectful communications.The presentation will also review proven strategies and examples of policy language that can be helpful in responding to difficult parents.

New Developments concerning the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act (presentation by Trevor Helmers):Responding to MGDPA data requests can be one of the most time intensive and frustrating processes for school administrators, and recent court decisions interpreting this act have made this process more difficult, specifically as it relates to security video footage maintained by school districts.This presentation will cover the recent court decisions relating to student and staff member data, as well as a discussion of best practices that schools should implement for responding to these requests.

How to Prevent and Manage Administrative Charges and Lawsuits (presentation by John Edison):This presentation will walk through tips and best practices for reducing the likelihood your school district will face litigation and administrative complaints, as well as preventative measures that can be taken to increase the possibility of a successful outcome in the event a claim does arise.This presentation will also discuss how to appropriately respond in the unfortunate event your school district is forced to defend an administrative charge or lawsuit.

Bullying Update (presentation by Mike Ervin and Jacob Kimmes):This presentation will address what we have learned after operating under the Safe and Supportive Schools Act for several years and will include best practices for dealing with bullying allegations based upon that experience.The presentation will also address school districts’ obligations to address staff-to-staff, staff-to-student, and other types of “bullying” allegations.

Hot Topics in Tech (presentation by Kristin Nierengarten and Zachary Cronen): Technology in schools makes our lives and jobs easier, but it also comes with a unique set of complications.This session will address current and upcoming technology issues facing school districts and invite audience participation to consider ways districts can best navigate challenging situations.Tech topics to be covered include Angel Sense, vault apps, data security, electronic communications with students, website accessibility, and more.